Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Buys 8,326 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 19.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 50,087 shares of the casino operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,326 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $2,572,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 745,994 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $38,314,000 after purchasing an additional 22,933 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 15,271 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $784,000 after buying an additional 3,862 shares during the last quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 196.8% during the fourth quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC now owns 14,179 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $728,000 after buying an additional 9,401 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 32.2% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 32,948 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 8,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARGA Investment Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 32.0% in the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 6,501,382 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $333,911,000 after acquiring an additional 1,577,042 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total transaction of $3,191,114.74. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $41.66 on Tuesday. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52 week low of $36.62 and a 52 week high of $56.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.14, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $49.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.89.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 43.76%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This is a positive change from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LVS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.58.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

Las Vegas Sands Corp., together with its subsidiaries, develops, owns, and operates integrated resorts in Macao and Singapore. It owns and operates The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, the Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao, The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip, and the Sands Macao in Macao, the People’s Republic of China; and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.